Romantic Rhine

Welcome to Holland. Your Suite Ship is Ready for Boarding. Flights into Amsterdam must arrive by 3:30 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm. Your day in Amsterdam is free to explore at your leisure.

During tulip season, you may take a Guided Optional Excursion to Keukenhof gardens - with more than seven million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths, as well as other bulbs, planted each year. Outside of tulip season, join a Guided Optional Excursion to Zaanse Schans to see historic windmills and charming Dutch houses.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM (D)

Canals of Colourful Amsterdam

Join your Adventure Host for today's special activities.

• Discovery: Discover the true beauty of Amsterdam with an off-the-beaten-path Guided Walking Tour through its cobblestone streets for a captivating look at this legendary city, OR:
• Classic: Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a Guided Canal Cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam's "Golden Age."

This afternoon choose among the Guided Optional Excursions available or take some free time to explore Amsterdam's colourful streets and canal houses, galleries, and shops.

AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO COLOGNE (B/L/D)

Prost! Celebrate in the Rhineland

• Active: Enjoy a bike ride like the locals in Cologne with your Adventure Host, OR:
• Discovery: Choose a Guided Walking Tour of Cologne's important Jewish heritage sites, OR:
• Classic: Take a Guided City Walk of Cologne - with its soaring twin-steepled gothic cathedral.

Spend free time over a glass of Kolsch pale lager - locally brewed for over 100 years! Later, local musicians will join us on board for live entertainment.

OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO RUDESHEIM (B/L/D)

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry in Wine Country

En route to Rudesheim, sail through the Rhine Gorge (a UNESCO World Heritage site). Take in the breathtaking views of ancient castles perched on cliffs 400 feet above the water, and pass the legendary Rock of the Lorelei - where the mythological siren's songs lured ill-fated sailors.

• Active: Enjoy a hike with your Avalon Adventure Host through the picturesque vineyards of Rudesheim, OR:
• Discovery: Take a Guided Tour of the incredible Mechanical Music Museum for a one-of-a-kind instrumental experience; enjoy a tasting of the authentic Rudesheimer coffee.

Enjoy live entertainment on board your ship this evening.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN RUDESHEIM (B/L/D)

Printing Halls, Castle Walls, and the World's Biggest Wine Barrel

• Active: Join your Avalon Adventure Host for an inspiring walk in Heidelberg, the Philosophers' way, OR:
• Classic: Enjoy a Guided City Walk, including a visit to the Gutenberg Museum to see the captivating history of printing, OR:
• Classic: Enjoy a Guided Tour to Heidelberg Castle to see the ruins of the magnificent renaissance treasure towering above the city, and its famed Great Vat, the "World's Largest Wine Barrel."

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO KEHL (B/L/D)

A Grand Cathedral and La Petite France

Ask about today's energizing or relaxing Adventure Host activities.

• Active: Discover Strasbourg by bike with your Adventure Host, OR:
• Classic: Join a City Sightseeing Tour, including Strasbourg's Gothic, stained-glass cathedral with its celebrated ancient murals and astronomical clock, as well as the magical La Petite France District.

Choose a Guided Optional Excursion to the historic Maginot Line - the pre-WWII fortifications designed to protect the eastern border of France, or visit Alsace's wine country today. Alternatively, take some free time in Strasbourg to visit a museum, or stroll across the city centre.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BREISACH (B/L/D)

German Winemaking and the Beautiful Black Forest

• Discovery: Join a full-day Guided Tour to the magical Black Forest to experience the Vogtsbauernohf open-air - museum, visit an authentic water mill, and see a traditional butter-making demonstration, OR:
• Classic: Join a Guided Tour to explore Freiburg's medieval city centre, sheltered by the Black Forest amid vineyards and gardens of the Upper Rhine Valley.

You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to visit the charming village of Colmar, with half-timbered medieval and early renaissance buildings.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BASEL (B/L/D)

Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning. Flights should not leave Zurich airport before 10 am or Basel airport before 8 am. (B)